Why do we Americans just accept whatever it is the military is doing with our soldiers?

We are done accepting it as a country.

A soldier’s job is to follow orders. They don’t make the policy decisions. And they go in full well knowing that they could be deployed to places that they may not politically agree with.

Questioning authority is disloyal.

It’s hard to explain how I’m feeling about this, but I’ll try my best.

It’s really not about just accepting what the government decides to do with our soldiers, there is a lot more to it than that. My husband has been a solder for nearly 20 years. Does he always agree with what he has to do? No, of course not. Does anyone always agree with what they have to do for their job? He does it because of the big picture. He does it for the future for our children.

Do I, as his wife, agree with everything he has to do? Hell no. When he had to deploy, I was heartbroken. That was the longest year of my life. But guess what, we both knew what we were in for. We both knew that deployments are part of the job. We both knew that being in harms way was part of the job. So, knowing all that, why sign up for it? Because someone has to be willing to step up and do the things that no one really wants to do. If it weren’t for the thousands of soldiers that volunteer to protect and defend our country, who would do it? Would we really want a draft re-instituted? No. Why not? Because forcing people to do a job they do not want to do is dangerous for everyone involved.

As far as how proud everyone was for him (the soldier in the question), honestly speaking, some of them might not have been proud. I know many people that are very against the wars we are fighting and not proud that my husband is a solder. But, that doesn’t mean they weren’t damn happy that he came home, let alone in one piece. So, the people in the video, while some were probably proud that he is/was serving our country, other’s may have just been happy that he made it home alive. At the time my husband came home from his year long deployment, it wasn’t pride that made me smile, it was joy and happiness. There is such a rush of emotion the comes over you when a loved one returns from a year in a war-zone. It’s something that you really can’t fully understand until you go through it.

As far as having the best equipment while over there, there is a lot that goes into what makes the best equipment. The Kevlar that they wear is probably the best thing we (our country) can afford to provide them right now. When they are geared up, their head, neck, chest, torso, upper thighs, and groin are protected. They do have pants that have Kevlar down to the knees as an option as well. They really can’t wear a full body Kevlar suit due to the weight and restriction of movement. The Kevlar they already wear weighs about 50–60 pounds depending on the size and if they are wearing the optional pants.

Because if you do not you are a goddam communist terrorist (who the hell are we afraid of this week?) sympathizer who wants his country to fail so that “they” will win.
You are evidently not a true blue, red. white and blue blooded god fearin’ ‘merkin patriot!!!!.

AMERICA: LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT you fuck and we will pay for your ticket outa here!!!

Americans have learned the hard way not to hold their soldiers culpable for the stupidities involved in the decisions of the country’s leadership. Our soldiers are the victims of those decisions and ALWAYS pay the price for the stupidities involved. The shock of the commercial was the ancient appearance of the victims of the previous stupidity in Vietnam. There wasn’t a single veteran from the conflict that didn’t appear 20–30 years older than he should. Rural and small town America pay a heavy price as kids from places with limited opportunities enlist to improve their prospects. In the end, watching the clip leaves me uneasy. The kid beat the odds, and came back apparently intact, but I can’t get around the fact that my country played him for a chump.

@stanleybmanly Aye. I’d love to see this exact same commercial, but with the solider missing a limb, or drooling like a vegetable. Not because I want to be mean or anything, but to see what the reactions would be if realism would be introduced in our comfortable homes. Show the grandfather crying his heart out when he sees his grandson all messed up and deformed. Never mind the goddamn phony symbolism. Or how about if Budweiser salutes the fallen, who never came back home?

America is very big on patriotism and image, and this alone I believe fuels what’s left of the American dream. (then again, every country is big on patriotism, there is NO exception, except maybe Burma) But it’s still pretty strong, and many believe that America is a righteous hero. I’m not being anti America here, I’d rather much live in the States than just about every other country that exists, frankly. (besides where I am now, but Canada is essentially the same fucking thing anyway, only without a badass military) But my point cannot be completely dismissed, as this is a fucking beer commercial we’re talking about, here.
Also, I’m not American. But I don’t blame that country for wars and shit that goes on, like some do. I blame everybody. And if I do go to war some day and come back intact, just give me a beer, I don’t need some big parade. I mean seriously, show a commercial where a poor soldier becomes a raging alcoholic after experiencing the horrors of war. Maybe then, we won’t accept whatever the government tells us about everything? but prolly not

Because beneath all this talk of freedom, they yearn for obedience and subservience.
They just need the right masters. The “Military” is one of those masters you are not allowed to question.

I don’t watch commercials, but soldiers are duty bound to obey orders. However each citizen has the right and the responsibility to have some input into what those orders should be. For this to be effective citizens have to be interested and well informed. This requires some effort on the part of the citizen as you can’t always accept at face value what you are told.

OK, I watched the commercial and didn’t like it. The gap between American perceptions and reality is as wide as the Pacific Ocean.

I would be more inclined to question the motives behind the orders than the grunts carrying them out.

The question was why, or whether we should, just accept what the military/government wants to do with our soldiers. No doubt any decision made by our government cannot be personally blamed on the soldiers, but I can certainly blame military decisions and policies on the government, and with that in mind, I say NO! We should not just accept what our policitians want to do with our military. Those are our brave sons and daughters, and the only cause that we should be putting their lives on the line for is to defend our country, not defending foreigners from their own political messes.